California Parent Sentenced in College Admissions Case

BOSTON – A California parent was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for a tax offense in connection with his involvement in the college admissions case.

Homayoun Zadeh, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to six weeks in prison, one year of supervised release with 250 hours of community service, restitution of $8,414 and a fine of $20,000. On July 9, 2021, Zadeh pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return.

Zadeh agreed with William “Rick” Singer to pay $100,000 to facilitate the admission of Zadeh’s daughter to the University of Southern California (USC). Zadeh made installment payments toward that total to Singer’s purported charitable foundation, the Key Worldwide Foundation, and deducted the payments from his taxes as a purported gift to charity, despite knowing that they were not legitimate charitable contributions, but were made in exchange for facilitating his daughter’s admission to USC.  

Singer has previously pleaded guilty to his role in the college admissions scheme.

Zadeh is the 28^th parent to be sentenced in the case.

Case information, including the status of each defendant, is available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Mark Deckett, Resident Agent in Charge of the Department of Education, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen A. Kearney, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright and Stephen E. Frank of Mendell’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.